Blue Planet has been working with Chicago Public Schools for over 10 years. As their only registered vendor for aquarium goods and services, we’re awfully proud of our long history of collaboration. Now, one might think “Chicago Public Schools are broke, why on earth would they be spending money on non-essentials, like aquariums?” Fair question, I’d say.
First of all, these are not giant expensive custom aquariums, but extremely affordable and smaller units. Furthermore, the vast majority of schools we work with are inner city and/or impoverished neighborhoods.
Have you been to the Shedd Aquarium lately? Let’s just say it is not a cheap date.
For a lot of inner city kids, their only exposure to nature may very well be animals the school keeps. That exposure to these animals can lead to interests in science, environmental responsibility, biology, and other academic disciplines. Plus, schools need to be a place kids not only learn from but also are drawn to and want to attend. Many kids have a fascination with aquariums and fish in general, so our installation projects are usually extremely popular with the students.
We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Chicago Public Schools and helping to inspire many future generations of students!
